Back Down To Earth
My first day in Tibet! Hard to believe I am here in this ancient place with so much history and strife. First thing you are told right off is we will not talk about political issues and you will not ask your guides about topics which are controversial in nature. Topic came up, at the first temple today, about how the Dalai Lama chooses the next successor to the other Lama's. I asked did the Dalai Lama pick the latest one, to which the answer was "I cannot answer that, but you can research it yourself". There are cameras everywhere, even in the guides vehicles. Very tense place and they are serious about
Mike Rose
97 chapters
Tibetan Temples and Taboos.....
October 09, 2017
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Lhasa, Tibet
My first day in Tibet! Hard to believe I am here in this ancient place with so much history and strife. First thing you are told right off is we will not talk about political issues and you will not ask your guides about topics which are controversial in nature. Topic came up, at the first temple today, about how the Dalai Lama chooses the next successor to the other Lama's. I asked did the Dalai Lama pick the latest one, to which the answer was "I cannot answer that, but you can research it yourself". There are cameras everywhere, even in the guides vehicles. Very tense place and they are serious about
keeping it peaceful. I found out today that Tibet is shut down to foreigners for a month starting October 18 because of the General Assembly meetings at the same time in Beijing. They do not want world focus on Tibet when the meetings are taking place. China is really playing games with the Tibet issue and has gone as far as taking the successor of the Dalai Lama to Beijing where they can train him the way they want. Anyway this place is very on edge and is kind of fun because you can ask questions that will get very funny and interesting responses. We went to see two very old monasteries built back in the 1400's. The Drepung and Sera Monasteries both of which have a lot of significance to the development of the Buddhist religion. We climbed a number of steps to get up to both of these and you could really feel the lack of adequate oxygen. Left you tired after going up only short flights of stairs. We were able to watch a monks debate which was very interesting. They do this quite frequently to
debate philosophical issues. Very animated and intense. The monasteries themselves were really nothing special, but the mountain setting they are in really makes them special. Had a welcome supper tonight with some traditional dancing and food. All very good to see and taste. Tomorrow we get to see the most famous of Lhasa landmarks - The Potala Palace. Should be another interesting day in a beautiful place!
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It all started with the first grey hair.........
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On the Road again.....
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Eataly and Old things......
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Culture Day
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The Medici Curse
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A Slanted View.......
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Lining up for David
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Holy Cannoli
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Exploring Paradise......
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Verona and Shakespeare......
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South to the home of Pizza and Mozzarella.....
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Sunday is not a slow day in Napoli...
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Pom Pom's for Pompeii
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Totally Different.....
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Hidden Gem of the Adriatic.....
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Kotor below the mountain.....
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King's Landing......
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Surf and Sun .......
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A Pleasant Day of Travel.........
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Rainy day in Croatia......
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Plitvice and Plum Brandy.......
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Whacked Crazy Day of Travel ......
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Fathers Day in Buda (with a) Pest.
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Relaxed Day in a Vibrant City.....
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Vienna the Good, the Bad, and the Lucky....
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Music and Mountains.....
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More of Magnificent Vienna...
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Day and Night in Prague.....
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Sunday in Prague.....
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Lots of Bones........
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Beer is Cheaper than Water......
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Perogies in Poland....
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A Sobering Day.......
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Happy Birthday Canada from Poland......
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A Few Days in Warsaw
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Shall we Gdansk.....
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Long Trip to Lithuania
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Vilnius in the Air and on the Ground...."
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Nida Break......
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Latvian Charm......
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Riga in the Rain....
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Estonian Excitement......
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Taking It Easy in Tallinn
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Pasty No More
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Hel(yeah)sinki
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Helsinki Highlights.....
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Sad Day as Katelyn Goes Home....
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To Russia With Love......
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Peterhof the Russian Versailles
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St. Petersburg Crazy........
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Moscow or Bust
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Moscow's Finest.......
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Moscow Winding Down...
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Gorky Park......
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Trans Siberian Railway........
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Baikal in the Rain.....
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Russia Ends, Mongolia Begins......
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Mongolia Camping Trip..........
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Busy Beijing
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Beijing and the Great Wall
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Great Wall Hike
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Great Wall Hike 2
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Back to Beijing and Summer Palace...
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Walk around Beijing
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Ancient City of Pingyao
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Warriors of Xi'an
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Panda-mania
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The Fun of Travelling
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Lijiang a Breathe of Fresh Air......
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Tiger Leaping Gorge-ous
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Stone Forest
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West Mountain of Kunming......
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Hot and Humid Guilin
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Rice, Rice, and More Rice......
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Terrific Tianmen Mountain.....
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Avatar Park in China.....
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Yellow Mountain in the Sky.....
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Tranquility in Chaos.......
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Modern Urban China
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Tibet or Bust
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Tibetan Temples and Taboos.....
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Treading in the Footsteps of the Dalai Lama...
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Tibetan Countryside......
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Everest
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Nepal Travel Hell........
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Trekking into the Top of the World.....
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Life Between Treks
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Annapurna Beauty
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Pokhara Relax Days
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Jungle Adventures
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End of Nepal
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To Thailand for Rest
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Beach Life
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Week on the Beach
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Christmas in Paradise
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Few days of Cool
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Fun in the Sun
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